US2640610A - Double-action door closing device - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1953 a. a. PANCAKE DOUBLE-ACTION DOOR CLOSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 21, 1949 HHULIIHIZ ATTORNEY June 2, 1953 H. H. PANCAKE DOUBLE-ACTION DOOR CLOSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1949 INVENTOR 52M ATTORNEY e k m M H e H Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOUBLE ACTION DOOR' CLOSING DEVICE Herman H.-Pancake, Glen Rock, N. J., assignor to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 21, 1949, Serial No. 71,870.

9 Claims. (Cl. 21463) a 1 This invention relates to door closing devices in general and in particular to such devices used in conjunction with drop bottom mine and-industrial cars. a a a I a Door closing devices similar to that shown in my Patent 2,374,155 have been used extensively, but these devices fail to operate properly when cars having mixed sized wheels are used over the same closing device. Also, occasionall an operator will purchase a locomotive having excessively low clearances and such locomotives can not pass over the closing ramp. It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a ramp which has a high lift permitting closing of doors on cars having different diameter wheels.

' "A further object of the invention is the provi sion of a door closing ramp havinga high lift to close the doors of the cars having varying clearances with respect to the rail top,

A yet further object of the invention is the pro vision of a door closingdevice combining rockers and rollers to produce a double action closing device of high lift. 4

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in theart from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken through a car and showing the same with doors closed and returning over the ramp;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of'the device with parts broken away to better disclose the construction;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1, and a Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the carwith parts of the closing device broken away and showing theparts in raised or door closingposition.

j Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen'that the car is of more or less conventional form having side sills 2 supported on axles 4, which in turn are supported by wheels W adapted to roll on rails R,'the'top surface onlyof which is indicated. The doors D are mounted to swing on hinges 6 between'open and closed positions and when in closed position are" held by the next rearward door as clearly shown in Fig. 1

The door closing device includes a base member 8 of more or less channel cross-section formed by angle members with outturned' flanges I 'by means of which it may be attached to any suitable supporting structure and the upstanding flanges are connected by a plate I2 welded in position between the angle form members and having parts l4 thereof inclined upwardly and forwardly to provide sloping trackways within the base member. These trackways are preferably provided with tapered holes It. It is obvious, of course, that this base member may be shaped differently or that the sloping trackways may be formed merely as part of the rigid structure at the dumping pit of the mine.

Y Mounted on the sloping trackways I4 are rockers' I8 of substantially cylindrical curvature and or bolt 30 extending through the rocker substang tially at the center of curvature of the rocker sur:

face. The pins or axles 30 also extend outwardly beyond the rockers and through slots 32 formed in the 'downturned flanges 34 of the door engaging ramp member. In order toprovidelgreater wearing surface and reinforcement plates 36 may be slotted and welded t the downturned members 34 with their slots in alignment with the slots 32. Lubricant may be fed to the rollers 28 by means of fittings 38 fastened in the endpf curvature of the rockers.

' motive.

axles 30 and joining up with passages extending into the roller 28. U I l a The door engaging ramp member is preferably formed with a substantially flat top plate 40 having its rearward edge curved downwardly a con siderable amount as at 42 and the entire side edges of this plate are welded or otherwise secured to the downturned sides 34 previously referred to. It is obvious, of course, that this member may be formed of a channel without welding, although it is generally cheaper and more satisfactory to weld the parts as shown. Within the downturned channel form ramp member are Welded trackways 44 which incline downwardly and rearwardly as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4. These trackways may, of course, if desired be pressed into thetop surface member 40 instead of welded theretoas shown, or the entire ramp member with its trackways may be. cast or otherwise formed. The trackways 44 rest upon .the rollers 23 and support the weight of the ramp member so that the axles 3v] do not normally rub on the edges of slots 32.

Whenthe ramp is in its normal lowered position as shown in Fig. 1, the top surface is sub? stantially flush with the top of the rail indicated at Rv and accordingly any locomotive or car can operate thereover without damage to the 1000-. When a car with doors open, however, is moving forwardly as indicated by the arrowT of Fig. .4, the hanging doors will strike the down? curved rearward edge 42 of the door engaging ramp and move the same longitudinally forward, that is, forward with respect to the travel of .the car during closing. Movement of the door engaging ramp forwardly by the hanging doors will cause the rockers 18 to rock along theirtracks l4, thereby raising the axle 30 which extends through the rockers adjacent to the center of Simultaneously with this rocking movement of the rockers the rollers 28 will rolla-along'therampitrackways 4 also lifting the ramp with respect to the. a'X1es30; such lift and longitudinal movement being permitted by the slots 32. In this manner the rockers rock on their tracks l4 and the rollers 28 roll on their tracks 44 to the position shown in Fig.'4. In this manner a high lift isobtained without sacrificing the advantages of..-increased;resistance obtained by the use of the rockersdil-iand-as fully explained in my Patent 2,374,155. As soon as the doors have been closed the rarnpdevice will immediately return to the down* position as shown in Fig. 1, thereby permitting locomotives. or..cars witncloseddoors to..freely pass thereover. Separation of the door engaging member and base member is, preventedby the axlesor pins 22 and 30 passing through the rockers and through the sides of the base member or ramp member respectively.

1 While the invention has been described more oraless indetail with specific reference tothe drawings,. it-will be obvious that various modifications and rearrangements of parts other than those shownand described maybe. made and all such. modifications. and rearrangements of..-parts areicontemplated asiall within the scope ofthe following claims. defining. my invention.

What is claimed is:

Q1..'In.a.doonclosingdevice, a basemember, a door engaging ramp member havinga substantially horizontal flat top and depending side flanges, rollers movably connected to said base member, said connectionsincluding axles extending. through said. rollers. and through elongated slots. in said. depending side .fiangea. and means facesformed on saiddoor engagingramp and movably. supported .on said. rollers. during longitudinal movement of. said ramp.

a3...In .a .door closingdevice, .a base .member, upwardly and forwardly inclined surfaces formed on said. base member, rockers resting onsaid inclined suriacesior rocking movement relative thereto,.rollers.carried by said rockers remote from. the rockingsurfaces. thereof,.a door enga ing-ramp, positioned .above..saidlbase member, downwardly and rearwardlvin'clined surfaces formed on said.door engagingrarnp and supporting. the sameon said rollers, means connecting said ldoor engaging ramp and rollersffor relative longitudinal movement, and .additional means connecting said rockers and base member to limit the rocking movement" therebetween.

"4. In :a 'door'closing device, a base-member, upwardly and forwardly inclined surfaces formed on-said base member, rockers resting-on said inclined surfaces for rocking movement "relative thereto, 'rollers carried by said rockers remote from'therocking surfaces thereof, a door engaging ramp positioned above said base member, downwardly and rearwardly inclined surfaces formed onsaid door engagingramp and-supgporting the same on saidtrol'lers'. andgpin and slot connections between :said door .engaging ramp and said rollers and between said rockers and said base member.

5. In a device for closing a car door, a base roller devices supporting said ramp, said rockers'being movablealong said trackways on said base :member and said rollers being movable along the trackways on said ramp to cause verticaland longitudinal movement of the ramp-while engaged-by the .door. in passing over the ramp.

.6...In .a door closing device,-.a basemember, trackways formed on said base member,.a door engaging ramppositioned. above said base member, trackways .formed .on said door engaging ramp, substantially. cylindrically curved rockers bearing ononeof-said trackways and rockable thereon, and. rollers, pivotally. mounted on... said rockers adjacent the .center. curvature thereof and bearingon the other of said trackways and rollabletherealong, said rockers. andv rollers together supportingsaid ramp. onsaid-base memher.

7. In a door closing .devicerabase member,.a trackway: formedcon. saidbase member... a. door engaging. ramp, positioned above said. base member, a track-way. formedonsaid .door engaging ramp, a substantially:cylindrically curved. rocker bearing on the trackway or" the-base-member and rocltable thereon, an axle. extending from-said rocker. substantially .in alignment with the center of curvature of the rocker, and a roller. rotatably mounted on said axleand rollableon the trackwayof thedoor engaging ramp.

- 8.: In a door closingdevice, abasetmemben a trackway formed on said base member, a' door engaging ramp, positioned above said. base member,:.a.-trackway formed on saiddoor engaging ramp, a substantially cylindrically. curved rocker bearingcon the trackway of the .base member and 'rockable thereon, an axle: extending from said rocker.- substantially in 1 alignment with the center of curvature of the rocker,-and aroller rotatably mounted on. said axle and bearing on the-trackwayof the-door engaging ramp, said axle-extendingthrough-a slotted, portion of i the door" engaging ramp whereby the ramp isconnectedto. said rocker butmay have'longitudinal movement relative thereto.

.'9.:"In=-la. doorclosing device, .-a base member, a doorengaging rampmember spaced above said base; member, a rocker member movably bearing-..-on said base. memben'and a roller member movablybearing on 'said' ramp member and connected '.-to said rocker member and movable therewith, .said rocker and :roller togethersupporting said-ramp memberonsaid base member for longitudinal and vertical movement relative thereto.

.. HERMAN H.. PANCAKE.

*Beferences'Cited in thefile'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number .Name .Date

305,555 -Williams 'Sept..'23, 1884 11,170,077 Lowry Feb, 1,.1916 1,854,283 .Walter Apr. 19, 1932 1,876,637 Dietrichson Sept. 13, 1932 2;374,155 Pancake Apr. 17, 1945

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